Rising Together
by Outcast001
Summary: When Alexandra wakes up where she really shouldn't be, and then later realizes just where she is, this teenager will do what everyone else in her situation would do. Screw things up and, hopefully, give a better life for those she considers Nakama.
1. Arrival

**Hello folks! This is my OC's adventure in the world of One Piece. This is in collaboration with Ang3l S0ng's own fanfiction Falling Apart. It is basically how my character ended up in One Piece and her own adventures there before (And after) she meets Asa. Hope you enjoy!**

**I own nothing, except my OC. Angels character is her own, and I hope I portray her right when I (Eventually) get to that part!**

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'_That is not my ceiling'_ was my first thought as I awoke to the land of the living. The ceiling was a summer-sky blue, and considering I remember my ceiling being white… well, you can see how this would be considered strange, at least to me. I tried to turn my head, but a pain rippled up and down my spine, reawakening nerves that had apparently been numb until now. The rest of my body was quick to join in reminding my brain just how much pain I was in.

"Ow…" I croaked, the sound jerked someone awake. They had been sitting in a chair, and the movement was so sudden they fell out and landed with a loud 'thump'. They were quick to get up though, and looked at me in amazement.

"You're… you're alive" the man breathed, as though it was a miracle. Considering how much pain I'm in, it just might be. I grinned at the man, taking in his appearance; he was a matured man, about forty years old with dark brown hair that was beginning to grey at the root. He had fuzz around his jaw, hinting that he hadn't shaved for a few days, and his warm green eyes were wide with amazement.

"Yep" I croaked again, coughing at the dryness of my throat. How long had I been out? I think the man could read my mind because, as he poured me a drink of water from the jug on the bedside table, he began to explain things. Helping me drink since I couldn't move, you know, being half dead and all.

"You've been out for nearly four days; found you buried six feet under during a landslide. In the middle of a storm no less! We brought you in, but everyone thought you wouldn't make it" he sighed and ran a hand through his hair "I should go tell my wife you're awake, but be warned, she can be a bit much sometimes" he added before standing and leaving the room. I blinked once, twice, thrice, and then I remembered what had happened. Death had sent me here, to do what I couldn't be sure exactly, but I was pretty much just meant to meddle with things. Live.

"Living wills have to wait, me-thinks" I muttered, wondering if Death could hear me. Lord knows I wouldn't be going anywhere soon, not in this condition at least. But what will I even do? How will I even explain this? Was I inland, or was this the coast? My thoughts were cut short as a woman with long blonde hair that was kept in a tight braid swept into the room. Her blue eyes narrowed on me and I suddenly felt like a child about to get scolded for playing in the dirt while wearing brand new clothes.

"Before I get ahead of myself, are you alright dear?" she asked, I nodded slowly, wincing when pain shot through my head and back at the motion. "Apparently not, what were you thinking? Running around in a storm like that, just look at you! You could have died!"

"I'm pretty sure I did, at one point" I responded, the woman paused and looked at me in surprise. After a few tense moments I couldn't keep my seldom expression together and grinned at her. She huffed irritably before turning on her heel and poking at her, notably taller, husbands' chest.

"You make sure she doesn't leave her bed, I'll make her something hot to eat, the doctor should be coming by soon…" she went on a bit more before retreating back the way she came, which I assume would be the kitchen. The man sighed, and returned to his original seat.

"So…" I started slowly "where am I?"

The man gave me a level look before sighing "You're in Shore Town, creative name huh?" he joked, before running a hand through his hair again "We found you unconscious on the beach, just under the cliff, during the storm but couldn't reach you when the top soil came loose and toppled on top of you. God knows how you survived"

'_No, the Grimm Reaper does, though'_ I inwardly grinned, but kept my attention on the man –whose name I have yet to learn- as he continued to speak.

"We dug you out, and since I lived closest to the cliff you were placed here, doctor said your chances were slim, and of you not ending up a cripple were slimmer. Poor Maria was terrified for you, barely left your side and tended to you like the daughter she never had" he smiled and I found myself copying him.

"Thank you, for saving my life" I finally managed to say, my throat was beginning to dry again.

"No problem. Names Boris, and you?"

"Alexandra"

"Nice to meet you"

"Likewise"

"…"

"Tell me about Shore Town, where is it exactly?" and like that, the silence was filled, replaced by a gentle voice as he talked about his home, and everyone in it. Shore Town was on a large island, it was self-suppliant in fruit and fish, but traded with the surrounding islands for other things such as clothing and building materials. The surrounding towns were Oakridge and Driftwood Harbour. Oakridge tended the trees and the Harbour handled trade, while Shore Town brought in fish and clams –since the place was known for their pearls as well- and they all helped out amongst each other. The islands, which were named for what they were rich in –Fruit Island, Fisherman Island and other uncreative names that were still charming- and all these islands, were located in the West Blue, and it was storm season to boot.

"However, despite the fact that it's storm season, there are several luxury cruise ships that tour the islands. I suspect you were on one of those and were lucky enough to wash up here"

"Yeah… lucky" I said sardonically, unconvinced.

"Better than dead"

"Point taken"

"So you really can't remember what you were doing before you woke up?"

"Nah, but I remember most of my life before. But luckily I remember my dream" I smiled in relief and happiness.

"You're dream" Boris raised a brow at that, interest evident in his gaze.

"Uh-huh, my dream, to be the best martial artist" I said proudly, and then broke into another coughing fit. It was then that Maria sauntered in, and immediately set to scolding her husband as she sat on the side of the bed with a bowl of steaming soup in her hands.

"Oh come now Boris, don't make the girl talk so much. She needs rest for goodness sake! Go make sure the boat hasn't drifted away or something" she said sternly, but there was a loving look in her eyes and humour danced in the older males. Waving his hand he bid the two of us a goodnight and went upstairs, presumably to change since he was still in his pyjamas.

"Oh, that man. Sometimes I wonder why I married him" she grumbled, and I couldn't help but chuckled a little.

"Maybe it was a moment of madness?" I offered, and she nodded solemnly.

"I'm afraid so" she admitted. A moment passed before the two of us ended up laughing, though the fun was cut short when I had another coughing fit. Maria fretted over me and helped me drink some water, before she had me eating her specialty soup. And it was good, too. Fish and oysters, seasoned with herbs I was unfamiliar with, all floating around in a thick broth that soothed my throat like nothing else. I ate slowly, with the aid of Maria, and by the time I was done a great tiredness washed over me. The woman smiled, and tucked me in before collecting the dishes and leaving.

It went on much the same for a week. I would wake up at random intervals, to which either Maria or Boris would be waiting in that chair, watching over me –on occasion it was the doctor, but I think that was just coincidence- and making sure I was alright. Then they would bring me something to eat, I quickly learned Maria was the cook of this house, and they would tell me more about their home and the surrounding islands. Boris was definitely a born teacher, he even brought out a map and showed me all the places and what they were like, and while Maria was talkative she wasn't really one for gossip and was more interested in my opinions and thoughts, which was just as fun.

As it turned out, everyone knew about me. The girl buried alive. And a few of the townsfolk had visited, wishing me well and bringing gifts. To which I humbly, and somewhat awkwardly, accepted. I wasn't sure why they were being so friendly, they didn't know me and had no reason to be concerned. Maria had quickly realized how uncomfortable I was about this and took the gifts for me and managed to keep the visits quick, stating that I needed rest and all that.

"It's rare for anything unexpected to happen here, and they're all excited to meet you. You're like a walking adventure, and you did survive something that would kill most people" she had explained, and I had to laugh at that. At least I brought something good to this town.

A few days later, the doctor finally said I should be well enough to try and sit up, but he warned me to be slow and if I feel any intense pain around my spine to lie back down immediately. I nodded and slowly, so slowly, I was able to force my unused arms into working order and push myself into a sitting position. My back hurt, but the rest of my body ached just as much so I'm pretty sure that there was nothing worrying about my spine so far. Maria braced some pillows behind me, and I gratefully lent against them. Smiling thankfully at the woman, I looked to the doctor.

"General pain, but nothing to worry about" I assured "So how long till I can walk?" I asked after a moment. The couple taking care of me smiled knowingly, I had made my displeasure of being immobile known many times, and while they humoured me they too were beginning to feel restless about me being bedridden. The doctor sighed, knowing where this conversation was headed, before giving a single curt nod.

"Fine, but slow and steady, alright?" I nodded excitedly, and slowly pulled the many blankets off my body and tested out my legs. Bending them and curling my toes, that ever present ache was the only thing unpleasant I felt as blood returned to my lower limbs and my muscles relished in moving. Pins and needles covered the expanse of my legs and feet as I swung them over the edge and let them touch the cool wood floor, taking a calming breath, I waited for a moment more for my blood to regulate before making that final push.

My legs screamed in pain, and my veins were suddenly on fire while the muscles stung like acid. My back refused to straighten properly, my spine popping in multiple places and as the muscles were pulled it felt like they were being stretched to their very limit. My shoulders felt heavy, like I was carrying a fifty-kilo bag, and my neck was stiff. I suffered a severe dizzy spell from the sudden shift in my centre of gravity.

But I stood my ground, I waited for the dizziness to fade and my vision to return to normal before I forced my back to straighten, which led to more pressure to be released from my spine and I could have sworn I tore a back muscle. My legs didn't feel as though they were on fire anymore, but they still stung slightly and ached badly, most likely a mix of being unused and the veins getting used to having blood flowing through them. Finally, I stood straight and though my fingers were tingling from blood suddenly pooling there from gravity, I felt accomplished and momentarily forgot my pain.

"See? Nothing at all to worry about" I stated. Boris and Maria were smiling happily at me, and I returned it with my own bright smile. The doctor –Doctor Wells, I believe he introduced himself as- looked relieved and gave me his own sort of smile. He was a blonde man with brown eyes that were flecked with amber, and they were very pretty. He stood and, not surprisingly, was a good head or so above me. Boris was a giant, I realized. He easily towered over everyone in the room; I mean, Doctor Wells only came up to his chest! And Maria was shorter than me, and I was a little above average in height for my age so you can see just how odd-looking it is that someone so tall can marry someone so short.

"Yes, yes. Can you try walking?" Doctor Wells asked, and I swallowed before nodding. Unconsciously I held out my hand, and Maria was the first to move and grasp it, I looked up from where I was staring at my feet and smiled thankfully at her. Boris walked over to my other side and lightly held my arm, knowing I would be needing help with this. Taking a deep breath, I moved one shaky leg and my other leg promptly gave out under the sudden extra weight. The couple caught me and helped back onto my feet.

"Okay, that's enough. We don't want to push-"

"I can do this!" I cut him off, glaring at the ground. Taking a deep breath, I focused on my feet again. This time I slowly put my weight on my left leg, and shakily slid my right foot over the floor. Placing it down again, even though it barely left the cool ground in the first place, I kept my legs bent. Slowly I added weight onto my right leg, and slowly moved my left. After what felt like hours, which was only about a minute, I felt like I had run a marathon, when really I had barely taken even a small step. But at least I was beginning to move, with help, but it was better than nothing.

"Baby steps" I muttered, allowing the couple to sit me down on the bed again. I leant against the wall of pillows and covered my bandaged legs with the blankets. I was still covered from head to toe with bandages and Band-Aids and white patches were bandages were just unpractical to place. The doctor was surprised by my fast recovery, and estimated that I would be able to walk on my own within a week. So, naturally, I was determined to prove him wrong. I managed to do it in five days.

It had been early morning, and Boris had come ambling down with steps heavy with sleep. He had stepped into the lounge room, which was where my bed was for some reason, with the intent of getting the morning mail. He exited the building and returned shortly afterwards, going through the bills and 'get well' cards sent by the many people who knew me, before he finally paused. Eyes trailed from the empty bed, before going to the sofa where I was currently located, reading a book that was about Alabasta. His eyes continued to flicker from me to the bed and back again.

"You just had to prove him wrong, didn't you?" he asked with a sigh, though humour laced his tone. "Maria is going to throw a fit" he added after a moment, and I couldn't help but smile.

"Yep, but I'm pretty sure she'll be happy as well" I said, and he chuckled before going to the kitchen to prepare some coffee.

As it turns out, Maria did throw a fit, a completely joyous and happy one. She gave a quick scolding on following doctors' orders, before hugging me tightly and going on about how now I could actually be of use and see the town and a bunch of other stuff I only half understood. Boris, thank Christ for the tall man, saved me and told his wife that while I could walk I was still healing. The woman had practically dropped me.

In the next few days, I began helping around the house with some easy jobs like cleaning and laundry. Maria was a real slave-driver, but she was super helpful and never made me do more than I could. Once I got rid of the bandages –my skin can actually breathe- Boris took me out fishing. I can tell you now: my hands were covered in tiny red dots from continuously poking myself with the hooks.

When I was finally well enough to actually see the town, I realised that my clothes from the landslide had been thrown out because they really were nothing more than dirty rags. But Maria, the woman of multiple talents, had sewn me a new dress. Storm season had ended, apparently I was just a week off the end of storm season, but that wasn't really surprising knowing my luck. The dress was a pale blue, like an early winter morning sort of blue, and went down to my knees. The area around the chest was bunched and the thick straps, which had furls on them, could hang off my shoulders and the dress wouldn't slip. I blushed and thanked the woman profusely for the gift, and after slipping on some white sandals I followed the shorter woman out of the house and into the street, my simple braid swinging slightly behind me.

It was mid-morning, so the centre plaza was busy with people. I blinked at how large the plaza actually was. Maria explained that the plaza had been built with the intention of all the citizens being able to stand in it with room to move. I had blinked before nodding, still amazed at the sheer expanse of the centre. The stone work, for the floor, was a mix of pinkish red and white tiles, the white tiles had grey and black blurry dots on it and the patterns were very abstract. In the centre was a large and simple grey-stone fountain. Stalls and shops surrounded the area, and I felt a little overwhelmed. For the last two weeks my world consisted of Boris's and Maria's home, and now it was suddenly expanding. I trailed after Maria like a duckling following its mother, holding a loose weaved bag. The first stop was the clothing store, and I inwardly cringed at having to tell Maria that I wasn't really a dress type. Sure, they were comfy but not practical for what I wanted to do.

Surprisingly enough, the woman understood. "I was a rebel once too, you know" were her exact words. And I can honestly say I was not surprised by that, it was fairly easy to imagine a tomboy with blonde hair and a short stature. So, we spent a good two hours trying on clothes and talking. I met at least a dozen people and it was a bit unnerving to be known by so many yet not know them.

As the day continued on, I swear I met at least half the population of Shore Town. And they all loved talking with me; even the extremely feminine girls whom I usually would hate having to deal with were okay. So, by the time I got home with Maria I was exhausted both physically and mentally. Putting everything away, I walked over to the sofa and collapsed next to Boris.

"Have fun?"

"I have discovered I'm not a social butterfly, and that dealing with people is so not worth the stress. Do you have any idea how many names I've had to memorise?" I complained, although I couldn't deny I was happy. I mean, who wouldn't be? I went shopping in the One Piece world for the very first time! I even bought some things! I have a book of my very own! And I got a notebook; I decided I would use it sort of like a diary. Writing my day to day life, or week to week, since I don't think I would be that dedicated.

"Poor you" Boris said unsympathetically. I nodded, pretending that I didn't hear his tone.

"I know" I mourned, and Maria walked in to shake her head at my antics.

"Seriously girl, it's not that bad. Granted some of those girls were annoying, none of them are as well behaved as you" she said proudly, I grinned mischievously at her.

"Yes, but that's because most girls my age aren't me" I quipped and she rolled her eyes. Deciding to have a shower, I announced that I shall depart and headed upstairs. Going into my new room quickly, I plucked some more casual clothes from the stacks on my new bed, before going into the bathroom and enjoyed some hot water.

Drying my hair as I walked down the hall, I turned into my room and began to pack away everything that was not put where I believed they should be. My room was a soft grey with a tinge of blue, my covers were a mix of beige and bronze colours that gave a rich earthy feel to it, while my furniture was all dark wood colours, while my desk chair (Which was cushioned!) was white with blue cushioning. And the bed was painted white as well, so it actually went with something. All in all, I loved my room. Shame I couldn't stay forever, since if I really wanted to change the events then…

Suddenly my situation really hit me, and it felt like a kick to the gut. The air left my lungs, and I sat on my bed because if I didn't then my legs wouldn't give out under me. I was going to be changing events, changing things. I could keep people from dying! They weren't just characters anymore; they were people, real people. It was a world full of people other than the mentioned characters, like Boris and Maria and the shopkeepers and the Marines and everyone.

'_I can stop Thatch from dying!'_ I realized happily. _'But doesn't he have to die? Otherwise, the story wouldn't go as it's meant to'_ I thought, my mood turning sour. I leant back and rested down on my soft blankets. It's true, if I stopped the attack then Blackbeard wouldn't be one of the main antagonists in the series and that would screw up the plot line irreparably, then my knowledge of events would be useless.

Turning on my side, I rested my head under my pillow. So… maybe if Thatch didn't go on that mission- no, again it would screw up the plot and even if I take his place I would see it coming and I might not survive, which would kind of negate my point being here despite the fact that I should be dead already. Sighing I tried to think of something that might work.

What if it was too late? What if Thatch had already died, and Ace was captured and the two year time-skip had already happened? My mind continued to assault me with doubts and 'what if's and all the things that could go wrong and I felt like a weight was crushing me and something was pushing at my lungs and chest and I couldn't breathe, tears pricked my eyes at the thoughts continued to run through my mind and scenarios went from bad to worse.

I covered my eyes with one hand, twisting onto my back again, and took several deep breaths. _'Calm down, you're having a panic attack, it's just the anxiety. Calm down, calm down. Just think this through; the unknown variables may not be bad, calm down. Calm down'_ she repeated her mantra. When she got into high school, in the city, she had begun to have panic attacks like this when she was put under great stress and she didn't know what to do. This usually happened in exams and tests, but normally I could handle it because I knew the answers, had the gist of an answer, or was able to completely bullshit my way through the whole thing and still get good grades.

I wiped my eyes and looked at the ceiling again. Okay, so for now I would just focus on short term things. Baby steps, that's how I roll. If I made it to the Whitebeard crew before the Division Leaders Death, then I'll try to find out what to do then, for now I need to focus on getting out to sea.

"There is no way I'm joining a crew" I muttered to myself, knowing just how much that would complicate things. Sure, some crews I would love to join. Strawhats, Heart Pirates, Whitebeard and all those others, it would be so much fun and I know I would love it. But is I really want to make a difference, I think I would need to be weaving something a little more intricate.

In my head, a plan was already forming. I would need a lot of information to be able to plan my steps in accordance. So, a spy network would be needed, which meant I probably wouldn't be able to spend months at sea at a time, not if I wanted to remain updated. Even with the Den Den Mushi's it could still be difficult.

"Maa, I'll just work on it when I get there" I muttered, and instead rose from my bed. If nothing else, I would make sure Ace lived. I would like Thatch to live as well, but I couldn't think of any way to let him live without causing some major problems.

"Thanks Death, you've really made this easy" I grumbled before entering the kitchen, and finding Maria was preparing dinner. I smiled and went over to help, since she has been teaching me cooking, and we fell into conversation easily. Boris would come in and join us in our conversations, but was usually ushered out by his tiny wife. I laughed and chatted and enjoyed my time, no matter what, while I could. I would be leaving soon, and I didn't want to spoil the good mood.

While I couldn't stay forever, I know that, perhaps I could stay for a little bit longer. I'm sure Death wouldn't mind that.

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**How's that? Hopefully I'll be able to post another chapter (Which probably won't be nearly this long) and I wouldn't mind feed back. Hopefully you enjoyed this.**


	2. Departure

**Chapter 2 is up! Loads of fun stuff happen here, and it's the first fight scene! I think I messed up a bit, so some feedback would be immensely appreciated.**

**I own nothing, besides my own character and the few I made up here. Hm... On with the Story! Enjoy!**

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I left a month later.

Originally I had planned to leave three weeks after that, since I was still recovering and Maria and Boris wanted to make sure I had everything and knew everything I needed to for when I left. That and Maria had demanded that they adopt me, and that I write her whenever I could. Plus Boris wanted to make sure I knew what I could and couldn't eat, especially fish and coral and plants and everything, along with learning a bunch about herbal teas. That was fun.

_Anyways_ the reason why that didn't happen was because someone found out, who told someone who told someone else who overheard it and you know how gossip goes. So, before the day was over -which was really something because it was three in the afternoon- _everybody_ knew I was planning on leaving soon, which meant there had to be a party.

Three days later, there was four days of partying. People from the other _islands_ came around and said their hellos and goodbyes. Which meant more socialising, but for the most part everyone just had a good time. Most got drunk at one point or another, and it was games galore. Music was ever present and if you wanted to sleep you had to go to the next town or be passed out. Half the time I was hiding in some alley or went off into the forest, enjoying the cool and somewhat quite atmosphere before I was found again and pulled back into the fray. Most of the time it was Boris, the man should have been a tracker I swear, and us two would just sit and talk. A few times Maria would find us both and join in.

Then finally, _finally,_ the day of my departure came and I was boarding a ship to head to the next island away from The Islands. The whole island, and then some, had come to see me off. I looked up at the large structure, and the weight of my pack became more evident. It wasn't overly heavy, but it was impossible for me to forget it was there right now. Taking a deep breath, I turned towards my mother and father.

"I'll write" I said, my voice wavered and I smiled as Maria wiped her tears.

"You better, or I'll come around and give you such a scolding" her voice cracked and her tears came anew. Boris wrapped a supportive arm around her before he turned to me.

"You take care of yourself, and stay away from cliffs" he tried to joke, to be light-hearted, but it came out weaker than intended. I smiled and waited for a few seconds, and then when I realized they were stalling, I scoffed and rolled my eyes before stepping forward and hugging them both tightly. They returned my embrace just as fiercely and we stayed like that for a few seconds.

"Okay, the ships gonna leave- mum can you- Dad! Put me down- oh no, no, nonononono! God dammit woman! Okay, okay. More hugs, there, happy? Now I really need to go- don't you dare use the puppy eyes on me! I will run away!" I finally said, after trying and failing to escape the couple that had become my family. We all laughed and I was finally released. I stepped away slowly, their hands slipping from my grasp.

Finally, I turned away and walked up the gangplank. My steps were light, but they felt heavy. They were filled with sadness, yes, but they held excitement and joy and filled with the rush of the first steps of an adventure. My adventure. Wow, I like the sound of that.

Stepping onto that deck was like stepping into the first rays of sunshine after a long winter. People were bustling about, getting ready to head set sail. I turned to face the crowd below me. It was silent, and I felt a little awkward. Was I supposed to make a speech? Eh, why not?

"Thank you everyone for everything you've done for me!" I started, my voice ringing out and echoing amongst the crowd "I understand that I may have not met everyone, or have not known everyone as much as I should like, and I like less than half of you half as well as you deserve" she said, and fought back a fit of giggles while everyone looked about each other, but a few cracked a grin or shook their head at my antics. Got to love Lord of The Rings

"But all that stuff aside…" I paused and took a deep breath "I will truly miss you all, and I would like to stay, and no doubt many of you would rather I do" she gave a pointed look to my family, who didn't look the least bit sheepish "However, I would like to see this world, to go on an adventure. _My adventure_" I finished, and god did it sound so good, so I'll say it again "My adventure" Yup, still good. The sails were unfurled and the anchor was hoisted, I turned away for a moment to scan the deck before we began to move, I turned back to the crowd, trying to think of something to say.

"It's goodbye for now, but not forever!" I finished, and the crowd erupted in cheers. Wow. I never thought myself as a public speaker but… just wow. I quickly ran towards the rigging and climbed up to the crow's nest, I stared at the island until it was lost to the horizon. Finally, I stepped down from the crow's nest and sat down on the wooden frame that held the sail.

"_When it all feel like, everything's impossible, and you don't fit right in a crowd go out and break the mould…"_ I started to sing Brave by Action Item. I continued to watch the horizon, occasionally looking down to watch the crew scurry about or laze around. They seemed pretty content. Everyone knew one another and their conversations came easily, with little prompt. I wonder if I'll ever find someone to be able to do that with. I knew that I had to be careful, lest I accidently slip something about my world to someone and that could lead to problems.

For the next month I was at sea, learning about sailing and becoming quite familiar with the crew. They were pretty ordinary, and talked about family and friends and events. It was nice, but at the same time I felt like something was missing. I guess with my knowledge on how weird and crazy and wonderful this world could be that I was expecting something a little more abnormal. Maybe it was just the pirate crews that were stranger than others, which suited me just fine. Since, chances are, I would be involved quite a bit with pirates and criminals.

In that month, I had sent letters to my family back at The Islands, and received plenty. Those weird birds that deliver newspapers acted like messengers, I would give them some coin and tell them the location and poof, mail sent. Though the gaps between sending and receiving mail were few and far between, but it was still nice to wake up and find that a letter was delivered for me.

When we finally docked, it was only to restock, but even that would take a few days. So, I hoped off and started exploring the island. It was a reasonably sized one, with big part towns that was full of trade. I took a deep breath and smelt salt and spices, drinks and meats, I smelt sweet things and smoky things and some things I couldn't quite identify. Pulling the straps of my pack tighter, I turned to the first mate of the ship I was on.

"I'll head out from here" I said, and he gave me a surprised look. Obviously he had expected me to stay with them until they reach the very end of their trip before they headed home.

"But… Boris and Maria asked us to take you all the way" he reasoned, proving my theory correct. I laughed a little and faced him fully.

"Aye, you did. But I'm a traveller now, and this will be good practice at the very least. Thank you for taking me this far" I stuck my hand out; he paused for a second before sighing and shaking my hand.

"Maria is going to throw a fit" he muttered, and I laughed at his sour face.

"When doesn't she? I'm sure Boris will save you, give my regards!" I said as I began walking away, waving before I vanished into the crowd. Weaving through the rush of people and making sure nothing was stolen. I would stay for three days; first would be to find my bearings, next would be to sell my wares or enter competitions, and the last would be so I could find a ship that's going wherever. I immediately set course to town, and looked for cheap but decent lodgings. It took the better half of an hour, but I was able to locate a place that didn't look like it was a brothel or was ridiculously priced.

I sighed as I fell onto the bumpy bed. I stared at the ceiling for a few long moments, and then decided that staying still was not going to be a thing with me, and promptly rose and exited the establishment that was my hotel. Taking my wallet with me since I might decide to buy something, like food or provisions or something along those lines, who knows?

It was around noon, so it was lunch hour. Which meant that going to get a bite to eat would be a waste of time, since I would have to wait in line and since I recently discovered my restless nature that idea was quickly repulsed, and instead replaced by the happier idea of browsing some shops that sold travellers equipment. But where would that be?

"Eh, I'll just go looking" I shrugged to myself before heading off in a random direction. My mind went onto more annoying figures: _finance_.

I knew that I had enough for about three weeks' worth of provisions, which included lodging and clothes. Plus hygiene and first aid, herbs for teas and other small bits and pieces, and maps and pretty much anything meant for survival. I do plan to spend a lot of time out in the wild, after all. Currently I had clothes and a first aid kit (Which held way more than the standard stuff) and… some hygiene stuff, but beyond that I had barely anything else.

I sighed in disappointment and turned a random road, which just happened to be a more shady part of town. I rolled my eyes as a bunch of guys looked at me suddenly, and shoved my hands in the pockets of my red hoodie and continued to walk, my ponytail swishing slightly with my movements. My feet were mostly bare, with only some bandaging covering the soles and the heel while the rest were bare. My black cargo pants scuffed the ground, which was paved with concrete but cracked and had pieces missing.

A group of three males intercepted my previously pleasant walk with lecherous grins and haughty attitudes. I raised a brow at them, and immediately knew what they were after. They weren't exactly hard to figure out. One opened his mouth to speak but I cut him off.

"No"

"What?" he asked obviously confused.

"I said no, whatever you were gonna say I'm not agreeing to it. Excuse me" I sidestepped, but it seemed they were intent on ruining my walk and refused to let me pass. It seemed I may have ruffled their feathers, since they seemed a little affronted by my decisive dismissal.

"You little bitch!" the apparent leader spat, his stained teeth glistening and his eyes flared with unveiled anger. Wow, touchy much?

"Woof woof" I quipped, which seemed to stun them again. But they recovered pretty quickly.

"Oi, don't you know who you're talkin' to? His dad is a gang leader" one of the leaders' buddies supplied. I smiled at him and gave an appreciating nod.

"Thank you for that information" my words seemed to shoot panic amongst them, and I chuckled at them. "Hey, I won't say anything about your behaviour if you take me to you daddy" I offered. But really I was just baiting him.

"I ain't scared of my dad!" he announced and swung his fist. I leant back a bit to avoid the hit, and grabbed his swinging arm. Giving a sharp tug the boy stumbled forward and I let go of his arm to drive my fist into his gut. The force caused him to traverse through the air for a few metres before skidding and rolling to a stop. I blinked at my strength, and how easy it was to predict and counter the boys attack.

'_That's right, Death upgraded my skills so I could skip ahead a bit and wouldn't spend so much time training'_ I remembered and returned my hand to its pocket. I looked on bored for a moment, while everyone else stared in shock, before looking to one of the lads following the gang leaders' son.

"I have a message for this boys' father, could you please take me to him? And you" I turned to the other one, and he flinched "Take your buddy to a hospital or something, I'm pretty sure I felt something break" when neither one moved, I glared and took a menacing step forward. They scurried to obey, and I followed my escort further into the slums.

"Uh, Richard won't be happy about what you did, or about you coming around like this" the older man warned as he walked into a building, nodding at the guard as he passed. I took that moment to scan the building. It was large, and looked more like an office building than a mansion.

"I would be disappointed if he wasn't" I returned, he nodded but other than that didn't react. I continued to follow him as he led me up stairs and down halls until we reached a set of large double-doors. I raised a brow at that, but schooled my features again a second later. The doors opened and I was lead into a spacious room.

It had a sofa and coffee table in the middle and on the other side of the room was a large mahogany desk and large leather seat, two tall back chairs in front of that. They looked comfortable enough, though I didn't like the idea of being boxed in like that. The man sitting at the desk looked like a real pimp. Violet suit with a fedora of the same colour, a red tie and shoes, to finish the style, I mean he even had a damn feather!

"And you would be?" he asked, arrogance and a little bit of curiosity lacing his tone. His displeasure at being interrupted was all over his face. I caught sight of two swordsmen on either side of him, standing against the wall in the shadow of the large window behind the desk, one had long black hair kept in a low ponytail while the other had short, straight, brown hair.

'_A decent sniper could deal with you easily'_ was my immediate thought, but I kept my features calm but slightly bored. I walked around the furniture and stood a little ways from the desk, the bodyguards stepped forward a little and I couldn't help but praise the fact that they actually took their jobs seriously.

"Alexandra… Kenly" I said, remembering that my last name was no longer the one I was born into. My surname was Kenly now; the one from my old world was… no longer a part of me.

"Well, Alexandra Kenly, why are you here? Interrupting my work no less" the man said, and mentally scoffed at his behaviour. Well, that explained why his son acted as he did.

"Isn't courteous to give your own name once someone has given you theirs?" I asked calmly, somewhat mocking, completely ignoring his question. The man seemed to choke on his surprise and hissed at me.

"Watch yourself girl, you might find yourself losing that tongue of yours" he said and I only raised a brow at him, to which he growled at. God, it was so easy to ruffle this man. His swordsmen grabbed their swords, prepared to draw them and cut me down. I was slightly worried about the potential fight. I had never fought anyone with a sword before, and I would be fighting two.

"I had come on friendly terms, but if you would rather skip the pleasantries…" I paused, cocking my head to the side and stared at him contemplatively. He smirked at me, obviously believing he had the upper hand. He gestured towards his two guards and they stepped forward, I only gave him a deadpanned stare.

"I have a business proposition for you" he raised a brow at that, but indicated for her to continue "I want you to be an informant of mine. You won't have to do much, just give me the gist of the comings and goings of this island and then report to me when something odd starts happening" I finished evenly. He lent forward and laced his fingers together in front of him.

"And in return?" he asked, obviously expecting something big.

"You live"

He did a mix between a scoff and a choking sound before his face went red. Standing angrily he slammed his hands on desk "You'll do what?" he spat, before gesturing for his guards again with the order of 'kill her' being the only words needed to be spoken. I stayed calm, my hands still tucked away in my pockets. I wanted to show off a bit, and beating two armed men with no hands would do just that.

Both ran around the desk, swords drawn, and both swung horizontally. One swing was higher than the other; the top sword would probably take my head while the other would open up my stomach. The blades glinted silver in the light from the window, and I saw my opportunity.

Stepping forward, I pushed my legs up and to the side, bringing my body with it and allowing my form to remain straight while being horizontal in mid-air. Time seemed to slow as my body twisted, as the blades passed above and below me I was facing the ceiling, and as I descended I was facing towards the amazed gang leader. One bare foot touched the cool wood floor, performing a half-twirl I kicked the back of the brown haired man's knee, I retracted my foot for a moment before striking out like a snake. My heel made contact with his head and he was out cold.

I ducked and side-stepped a diagonal high swing, and performed a handless cartwheel to avoid the second swing aimed at my legs. Again I kicked for the knees, but this was a side sweep that hit the side of his right knee and there was a distinct 'pop' sound. He fell onto his knees with a surprised scream, I had probably dislocated it. Stepping forward I brought my own knee up to collide with his jaw, sticking my foot out I pushed his chest and he fell back. Not dead, but he wouldn't be getting up anytime soon.

I looked down at my opponents, a deadpanned look crossing my features, though I hid my smugness at beating these guys without hands pretty well. I looked to the man who was now shaking like a leaf.

"I think you'll find that killing me is far easier said than done. However, I understand my mistake. For such a long term deal, both sides must give a certain amount, and you will already be risking your business and life in helping me. So" she paused, to make sure he was actually listening "I owe you a favour, just give me a call and I'll see how I can help you. I'm not asking you to do much really, just report to me anything out of the ordinary. If the Marines become edgy all of a sudden, I want to know. If trade notably changes, I want to know. If a new pirate crew or gang pop up in the area, or you hear of one, I want to know" I said, commanded, and waited patiently for a reply. It didn't take long, since it was obvious that I could kill him (Not that I would, I'm not that bad yet) and that I could be a potential ally.

"A-alright… How do I contact you?" he asked, still a little shaky but calming down. I looked around, idly wondering how I was going to solve this one. I actually hadn't thought of a way of communication.

"Letters, send me letters. Basic reports, really. But if anything big happens, especially with the Marines… do you have a small Den Den Mushi?" he nodded at my question and went to a large wooden display case; he opened the glass doors and searched for one that would work for them.

"How far are you planning to go?" he asked, his demeanour had changed from his arrogant persona to one of a professional businessman. I smiled for a moment before putting back on my calm façade. I was glad that I had made the right choice in investing in this man; he would be a good informant.

"To the New World at least" I said, he paused in surprise before pulling out a small red transponder snail. He handed it to me and offered me a seat, to which I obliged. My demeanour became friendlier as we sorted out the details. He would send me a basic report once a week of the basic activities, comings and goings, and behaviour of the major and minor factors of the island. The Marines, the harbour, trade, business (Both legal and otherwise) and had even offered to set up a few spies in the navy. I had told him that it was up to him, since it was his men he was risking. He seemed to take my words to heart, but said he would still work out a few things.

As I rose to leave, I left a weeks' worth of money on his desk. When he asked about it I pointed to his injured men "for their medical bill, it won't cover all of it but it should help. Oh, and can you point me to the nearest travellers shop?" had been my answer. He had called for the man who escorted me here, and gave him instructions to take me wherever I wanted to go and to make sure I was treated properly.

Two hours and one long trip back to the hotel, and I was back at my sleeping quarters. Dumping all the stuff I bought on the floor, I began to pull everything out and sort them in groups. Food, clothing, first aid and so on, and then I started to put them in my backpack. I the larger stuff away and put the smaller things in the pockets, a roll-up swag was tied at the bottom of the pack by straps and I even added a few clip-ons.

By the time I was finished, it was dusk and I was tired. I would be selling herbs and teas at the plaza tomorrow. I had seen a bunch of people doing it, and wondered how my first selling endeavour would go. Maybe I could give a few free lessons to bring them in? Eh, who knows? I'll just see how things work first.

I got into my bed and stared at the ceiling; it was wood and had water stains in the corners and chips from whatever had caused them. It was old, and had seen a lot of things. I always found old things charming, like old buildings and old books, or old toys. I wondered what I would see on my own journey, what would happen and how things would change, if they changed at all. I wasn't plagued with panic and doubt like before. My eyes closed and I drifted off into a peaceful sleep.

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**Alrighty, that's that. This chapter is done but I don't know when the next one will be up. Since I still have a few things to sort out (And a lot to go through before I go to the New World and meet the Whitebeards. Thoughts and opinions? Is there anything I can improve on? Hope you enjoyed the story. I'll try to post again in the next week or so, if not fortnight. **


	3. Herbs

**I'll admit, this one will be shorter than the others, but that's bound to happen sometimes. **

**This one might seem a bit dull, but basically I'm planning on Alex having a little adventure or some event happening in each of the Blues before going off to the Grand Line. Hope you enjoy this!**

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Dawn; there was always something about that word. It was majestic, it symbolised hope, and just saying the word makes you think of beautiful sunrises with gold-tinted clouds with pink and purple hues.

This was not one of those dawns.

One of my neighbours were arguing with someone down the hall at _five in the fucking morning_, and more people were opening their doors telling them to _shut up_ but that only caused _more_ noise. Unfortunately, I couldn't go back to sleep even if they did shut up and it was quiet again because of the bad mood they put me in. Have you ever tried going to sleep while frustrated or angry? Yeah, it's not easy is it?

Muttering darkly under my breath, I got out of my warm bed and stretched. Since the bed didn't have the softest mattress in the world, my back still had some built up tension that was released with a pleasant 'pop' of my spine. I really love that feeling, though it also makes me worry that I'm going to screw up my spine somehow.

Going over to the connected bathroom, I enjoyed a hot shower –even if the water practically dripped out of the shower head- and dried myself quickly. Changing into a pair of black slacks and my red hoodie, I chose to have a dark grey sleeveless underneath; I packed up my stuff and left the building. Going to the plaza, I saw that people were beginning to set up shop. I then realized that I didn't even have anything to place my wares on.

"Crap" I muttered under my breath. I didn't even have enough money to hitch a ride on the next ship. Looking around, I saw a black haired woman setting up a stand for tea sets and china. She looked about twenty, and was dressed in a dark blue dress that went down to her ankles. Biting my lip, I wondered if she wouldn't mind sharing a table. Making my decision, I walked over and cleared my throat awkwardly. She looked up and smiled politely at me.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not quite ready yet, if you would like to come back later…" she trailed off as she saw –or smelled really- just what I was carrying.

"Um, thank you but that's not why I'm here. I was hoping to sell some herbs and teas but I don't have a table, and I was wondering if you wouldn't mind-"

"And why should I, if you don't mind me asking" she cut in fiercely, but not trying to sound too rude. I rubbed the back of my neck and sighed, why are these things so difficult for me?

"I'm only staying here for today, maybe tomorrow… but I need money. Besides, selling tea as well as tea sets is bound to bring in customers. I can share whatever I make from my herbs with you, since it is your stall I'll be using" I finished, and the woman seemed to think on it for a good minute before nodding. She stuck her hand out, and I shook it gratefully.

"Alright then, we'll sort out payment after the day is done. Let's set up shop. Oh, and my name is Katlin" she offered with a more genuinely friendly smile. I returned the smile and moved to help her set up the shelves.

"I'm Alexandra" and like that, we set to work. Building the stall wasn't hard, it was sort of like a puzzle, and when it was finished I realised just how big it was. There were three display cases set up behind the table, and were filled with various china of various styles. Eastern, Western and there were some real cutesy ones as well. When I was done staring Katlin gestured to the table and I immediately began setting up my herbal teas.

"What do we have?" the older woman asked. I blinked for a moment before looking down at what I had. The colours varied and some smells were strong while others barely had any smell at all.

"Okay, I've place them in their groups. These ones are medicinal herbs: they help with muscle pains, arthritis, sore throats, headaches, colds, allergies and some help strengthen the immune system. These ones here are for mostly for relaxation and vitalisation, they can help with stress and naturally wake you up in the morning without using caffeine, or they can just put you in a good mood. These ones are good for those with heart or blood problems, and these ones are to help with metabolism. So anyone on diets would definitely want these. Each one has a range of flavours as well, they can be sweet or bitter or plain, they can be lemony or citrus and more" I finished, taking a deep breath when I realised I said all that in one breath. I'm really enthusiastic about herbal teas.

"Oh wow…" the woman said, before turning to me "And you made all these?" she gestured to the packets and boxes that held all the types of herbs. I nodded, a small blush covering my cheeks. When I had seen the book on herbs I had jumped at the chance to learn about it.

"Yeah, I can even make pastes to help with bruising and disinfectants, but I'm only beginning on that" I added, and the dark haired woman –she had pretty green eyes, I noted- continued to stare at me in amazement.

"How old are you?"

"Seventeen… oh, what's the date?"

"10th of February"

"I'll be eighteen this year"

"Oh… and you know all this so young?" she asked, clearly amazed. I really didn't have the heart to tell her I learned all this in a little over a month. I don't know how I managed to remembered all this either -probably because of Maria- but I did and it would no doubt come in handy in many situations to come. Besides, if I'm going to be a martial artist I'm going to get hurt a lot, so knowing this stuff will be beneficial to my health.

I started boiling some water with a mini camping stove that I had bought yesterday, and started making some herbal tea with a sweet aroma. Pouring it into some of the cups that Katlin had set out for me, we chatted idly as people began to amble into the plaza. The smell brought customers, and as I began explaining the different teas and their uses, people began to crowd around.

"All at reasonable prices too!" Katlin would say when people began to think that all this stuff would be too expensive for them. We showed off the china, and we even made deals.

"And you'll get one packet of herbal tea of your choice, for each tea set purchased" I said randomly, and while the dark haired woman was surprised she hid it well, and rolled with it. That really brought in the customers, especially the women who were mad about diets and looking good. Olden folk with aching bones and sore muscles, those who had stressful jobs and people who just wanted something sweet to have, all came around to look and buy. We gave free samples to some of the more reluctant buyers, and by the end of the day, most of my herbs were gone and half the china was too.

As the sky began to darken and the sun dips below the horizon, we began to pack away. Katlin would dismantle everything and I would load it into the horse-drawn cart her husband had dropped off an hour or so ago. I had questioned why he didn't help out, but she explained how he worked at the docks. I hadn't said anything more on the subject.

"Here" I said after we had split the profits and were about to part, the woman looked down at the parchment with a confused expression. "These are the recipes for the more popular herbal teas we sold, some ingredients might be hard to get around here, but this should help your business" I explained. I had noticed how underfed Katlin and her husband were, and knew they were struggling to make ends meet. Fun thing about my profession, you learn a lot about the human body and often notice things unbidden.

I was startled out of my thoughts when Katlin threw her arms around me and hugged me tightly, not sensing a threat I relaxed and returned the hug, rubbing her back comfortingly as she sobbed out words of gratitude I only half understood. When she finally let go she took the paper and wiped her eyes and smiled at me with a bittersweet expression.

"Thank you so much, you don't realise how important this is for us" she said, placing a loving hand on her flat stomach. I stared uncomprehending at the appendage for a long moment before my eyes widened in realisation.

"You're with child" I breathed, and the woman nodded happily but with a touch of sadness.

"We were so happy when we found out, but we've been struggling for a while now and we were scared that we might have to give up our child" her eyes watered and I placed my hands on her shoulders, when her puffy eyes turned to me I grinned.

"You'll be okay, both of you. Trust me" I said before stepping away and grabbing my pack, slipping it on I waved to the older woman. "I might come around to see the little munchkin" and like that I left the plaza. Idly, I wondered how Katlin would react to the gift I left in her cart.

When I got back to my hotel, I sat down on the bed and pulled out my notebook and began writing down the events of the last few months. By the time I was done, I had filled half the notebook and knew I would need to get a few more real soon. Putting that away, I got out some lined paper and began writing a letter to Maria and Boris. My mum and dad would be wondering why I hadn't sent any letters and I doubt the tall man would be able to hold back his wife for much longer.

"I'll send this tomorrow" I muttered, setting it on my pack and slipping under the covers of my bed. I would be ship hunting tomorrow, and hopefully be going to the next island within the next twenty-four hours.

Morning was, unsurprisingly, noisy and unhappy. The neighbours were yelling at each other _again _and the water still didn't run very well –at least it was hot- and the person manning the front desk was a lazy asshole that was more interested in reading a fashion magazine then tending to customers.

'_No wonder this place was so cheap'_ I thought unhappily as I returned the key and left the building, _never_ to return. As I made my way to the docks, I took in the town. The style was relatively village-like, around the eighteenth century-looking. The road was cobblestone and there were many alleys between the buildings.

Unlike the town, the docks were busy even at this fine hour –around five-thirty- and the men gave passing glances but otherwise left me to my own business while they went about their own. I walked about asking sailors and dockworkers alike if there were any ships leaving port soon, most just shrugged and offered that there might be one further up. However, despite that, it didn't take long to find one that would be leaving within the hour. A quick chat with the captain and a sum of cash later, I was sitting on the railing watching as the island got smaller and smaller until it disappeared from view.

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**Oh yeah, I forgot to mention this. But Alex is about four years ahead of the story when Luffy sets off. So this is about a year before Ace leaves. Just some basic info. Hope you all enjoyed this chapter, and I'll try to have the next one up soon... ish. Maybe a fortnight... ahem! Enjoy your day (Or night)**


	4. North Blue

**Oki-doki. I don't own One Piece, obviously, but there's an extra warning here. This chapter is a bit darker than the others, and their is death in it. I tried not to be to descriptive of those bits... Anyways! Read and enjoy! **

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For the next month or so it was largely the same. Go to the next island and increase my network of informants –both legal and otherwise- before making and selling herbs and teas, then hitchhike a ship –or boat- and head out to the next location. A few times I had to restock on something, or buy something I didn't think I would need. But by the time I left the West Blue, I had a decent amount of info coming in almost every week. So far, nothing major was going on. Some rumours of pirate crews in the area, but that was either false or not something to worry about.

It took a while, but I finally managed to get to the North Blue. The place was colder than expected, so I was quick to buy a scarf and a pair of gloves. The ship that I was on was old, and captain was cranky. Seriously, even though I paid him and helped out amongst the ship he still called me a freeloader. The guy was a nightmare! Needless to say, when we docked I flung myself over the railing and into town.

And then I saw the kind of town I had run into. Suddenly I wished I stayed on the ship. This town was dirty, dark and dank. The people even more so, I mean that literally. Were those guys openly selling drugs? I blinked before shaking my head, there was no way I was staying here three days. I had plenty of money to just leave on a different ship today.

I turned around, intent to head back to the docks –because there was no way I was going to find any informants here- when I overheard a conversation in an alley. The words were hushed but I had long since become attuned to listening in on quiet conversations.

"Did you hear about Gutter? Brad says he ripped some no-name in half down at the ring" I heard one of them say. My brows furrowed at that, what was the ring? Was that a fighting ring or something? I looked up at the afternoon sky, and shoved my hands in me pockets as I leant against the old brick wall. I hadn't had a decent fight in a long while, and I was beginning to worry my skills were getting rusty. Shrugging, I turned into the alley were the men were still chatting. Slipping on my mask of indifference, I stopped a few feet short of them.

"Oi" I called out, and they jumped before whirling to face me. They looked frightened, before they saw that I was a girl and their looks turned lecherous. "You mentioned a fighting ring, where can I find it?" I said plainly, ignoring the suggestive looks I was receiving. They both glance at each other before flanking my sides with smiles they no doubt thought were devilish.

"What would a cute thing like you want to do with a place like the ring?" the guy on my right asked, smiling at me with yellowing teeth. The other was way too skinny to be healthy, but I ignored my discomfort at having them within my personal bubble and raised a brow at the one who talked.

"I have my reasons. So are you gents going to escort me or am I going to have to find someone else?" I asked, beginning to turn away but they both stopped me with hurried words. I nodded to them and they led down a few dark alleys before stopping at a door, Yellow Teeth knocked thrice before the door opened and two burly men stepped out. They glance at us before nodding and letting us pass, though I could feel them looking where they really shouldn't be.

"Suddenly mass murder looks like a pleasant option" I muttered darkly, but luckily neither of them heard me and we continued on. The halls were dark a dimly lit, the floor was concrete and the walls brick. I tried not to laugh at the setting; they were really trying too hard.

As we walked, I heard the faint sound of cheering, and the further we walked the louder it got until it was a deafening roar. The hallway ended and we entered a separate room. It was like a large dome with lights along the wall. The room looked like a mini, indoor version of the Roman Coliseum from my old world. There was a round pit in the middle of the room, the farther you were from the pit the higher up you were. People were cheering and yelling at the participants fighting in the pit, two of them going one on one. It was obvious who was winning.

A large burly man that was nothing but tan skin and muscles was brutally laying into a smaller opponent. The large man had metal wrist bands on both arms, and on them was a single scythe-like blade, curving over the back of his hand and past his knuckles for a few centimetres. A gruesome weapon that was all but ripping through the smaller man, whom was strong in his own right but nowhere near tough enough to handle this giant.

A pained screamed ripped through the stadium and all went quiet as the large man tore his blade through the man stomach and pieces of him flew everywhere. The man was dead in seconds. A few seconds later the crowd erupted in cheers and praise, while I hid my disgust with a blank face.

"I take it he is Gutter" I stated evenly. I had never seen something like that before, not once in my whole life. Sure, I had seen bones broken and poking out of the skin, I had seen torn skin and muscles bare to the outside world but… never had I seen a massacre like this.

'_I feel condemned just by being here'_ I though with a small tremor of apprehension. I had expected some riffraff group of thugs duking it out, not a man literally twice my size that went through men like a hot knife through butter. I could feel it; I could feel that he would have no problem killing me if I fought him. He wouldn't care that I was a girl… in fact he might enjoy it. That is, if he could hit me. I was fast, and I knew how to fight. This man was strong, but you can't hurt what you can't hit.

"Yeah, that's him, he's a big guy. I bet a twenty on him once, got back double" Skinny laughed and wrapped an arm around my shoulders. I forced myself to remain relaxed and not rip the bastards arm off. Mostly ignoring the men, I watched as Gutter soaked in the attention with a victorious grin. Then his eyes caught mine, and I tensed automatically. My eyes stared into his brown ones without fear, or panic, or trepidation. I was calculating, I was calm, and I was uncaring to what he did to his opponent, because he wouldn't get a chance to do the same to me.

"How do you sign up?" I asked, not looking away as the man began to grin with bloodlust. The crowd had grown silent and was watching the exchange. Yellow Teeth made a shocked sound in the back of his throat, and he turned to me.

"Y-you're not gonna fight Gutter, are you? He'll tear through you in seconds"

"I'll take my chances" I replied, and the both men tried to sway me from my decision but both were silenced with a hard glare from me. They seemed to accept it then, and gestured to the man sitting in what appeared to be a VIP booth. Higher up and away from the mob, and he too was staring at me.

'_Seriously, what is with everyone and staring at me'_ I shook my head at that thought, before walking through the crowd towards the booth. When I reached said booth, the man looked up from his seat and grinned at me. Gesturing to the seat next to him, I took the hint and walked over but didn't sit down; I was standing so he was directly to my left. I studied the man from my vantage point and fought back a sigh. How many business men have I dealt with within the last month? While this man was far more casual, wearing a black suit that wasn't made of silk and no tie, he was still dressed to show just how high up he was compared to the average scumbag.

"I see you're interested in Gutter, am I to expect little killers running around in the near future?" he asked with a sickeningly happy grin. I scoffed and crossed my arms, and put most of my weight on my right foot. I looked down at him coldly.

"If you had any sense you would see that we want to kill each other, not fuck each other. Now, are you going to let me compete? Or do I have to kill you too?" I asked impatiently. I wanted to get out as soon as possible, but I wasn't going to leave without getting something out of it, even if it was only a fight.

"I wouldn't be so crass if I were you" he said calmly, and I felt the barrel of a gun at my back. I turned my head slowly and saw a man I didn't know standing there, rifle against my back. How had he snuck up on me? Sighing at my lack of attentiveness, I turned back to the boss.

"Seriously?" I asked in a deadpanned, and slightly disbelieving, tone. Spinning around I knocked the gun away from my person before kicking him in the gut and sending him through the door. The boss guy stood up and looked at his doorway, as though wondering where the door went.

"Alright" the man recovered quickly, smiling excitedly at the prospect of another challenger. "The prize is a million belli" he said and I nodded, not really caring about the money, jumping down from the booth and into the pit. The body had been cleaned away, but Gutter had remained.

"Ready to die?" the man asked mockingly, I stared up at him before grinning.

"Been there, done that" I said finally, and then the bell went off to signal the start of the fight. The large man wasted no time, and rushed towards me like a runaway train. Ducking under his fist, I sidestepped but had to quickly change direction as he went for me again. I reminded myself that he wasn't some thug; he was an experienced killer who had deemed me his prey. As he made fast jabs at me, occasionally adding a kick, I mostly kept to dodging, trying to gauge any weak spots or gaps that I could take advantage of.

Suddenly his tempo changed, and I was sent into the wall with a devastating kick. Coughing from the dust, I managed to keep one eye open and managed to dodge a jab from the deadly talon-like weapon. Kicking off the wall, I emerged from the dust cloud and drove my knee into the man's face. I felt the cartilage crack, but not break. I frowned at that, how strong it must be to withstand an attack like that.

"_When a bone breaks, it becomes stronger in that area to avoid it breaking again"_

That's what my instructor had said when I once asked why the older students didn't seem so upset when something broke during fights. Could it be the same for cartilage? Probably, that would certainly explain why his nose didn't break. But this posed a new problem: chances are many of his bones have been broken over his years of service in the pit, so how am I supposed to gain the advantage here? I have speed, sure, but he was a tank. If I can't land any significant blows, I find my second life shorter than my first.

Landing a fair distance away from the mammoth of a man, I looked back as he held his nose in shock, as though he was surprised it had broken at all. I wouldn't be surprised at that, this had probably been the first time he had been actually hurt in a match in a long time. However, he didn't seem enraged or even perturbed by my somewhat successful attack, in anything he seemed happy. Then he began laughing, but this laugh sent shivers up my spine in trepidation. He was not sane. Not anymore.

"That's good. That was really good, girl. What's your name? I like to know the name of a good challenge" he said giddily. It would have sounded silly coming from anyone else, in a different situation, but not now. Now it just drove home the fact that this man had lost his mind a long time ago.

"You may call me traveller" I responded coolly, not wanting anyone to know my name. I didn't want people to start whispering it, whispering right to the government so they could put a bounty on me so soon. I don't need one now, not until I hit the Grand Line.

"Traveller…" Gutter said, as though testing the name, but then his eyes lit up "Traveller it is then!" and then he was running again, right towards me. I jumped out of the way, bending to avoid his scythe-like weapon once again. My mind raced to try and find a way to beat him. Breaking his bones to slow him down would be stupid, it wouldn't work with him, and there was no chance I could rupture something. His muscles would be strong, so there little chance I could cause him to pull or tear something. I flipped out of the way again, landing on my hands and pushing away to land on my feet and to give me some extra distance. The ground where I had been caved under his pressure and more dust and sand exploded into the air, making a little cloud. I dove out of the way of another attack, performing an army roll and landing in a crouched position. He came at me again, and I continued to avoid him.

My breaths were coming out shorter, and faster. I looked around and, with a surprised jolt, found that I couldn't see Gutter, or anyone else for that matter. It seemed as though the whole arena has been clouded in sand and dirt and dust, covering the air like a thick mist. I covered my mouth with the fabric of my jacket, not wanting to inhale any of this stuff. I could hear Gutter skulking about, he was surprisingly quiet but his size made it impossible to be truly silent. Me on the other hand…

Sifting silently through my new cover, nary a sound escaping from my lips as I steadied my breathing and I kept my movements minimal and light, making sure my cloths ruffled as little as possible and that my steps didn't disturb the sand at my feet. I continued like this until I was right behind Gutter as he continued to look through my rapidly clearing cover for me. I had to strike now if I wanted any chance of success. Using the first knuckle of my forefingers, I struck his spine half a dozen times. The giant man swung around and I managed to duck under his extended forearm.

Then he brought his knee up and slammed into my entire upper body, my head snapped back at the force as I went airborne. Knowing what was going to happen next, I fought the pain and disorientation and clumsily tried to manoeuvre myself in mid-air to avoid the oncoming attack. A sharp pain ripped through my right leg as I went flying into the arena wall once again, this time with a lot more force. Large chunks of debris fell with me. I hit the ground with a silent _'thump'_ but the loud crashes of the chunks of wall drowned out whatever sound I made. I forced myself to breathe even though my lungs protested the action; slowly I got into a kneeling position and tried to stand.

My right leg gave out under me and I returned to my kneeling position. Looking down in confusion I noted with a bit of horror that there was a tear going down the side of my leg, starting at the knee and going all the way down to the ankle. I didn't have time to cringe or worry, for my opponent was walk- no _stalking_ towards me. I saw the look in his eyes, and suddenly I felt like prey, wounded, tired, trapped _prey._ I felt my body shudder, but beyond that could not force my body to move as he slowly descended upon my prone form.

'_I can't die now, what have I accomplished? I can't die, I _won't_ die! Not here, not now, not again! I've already died once. Not again. I can win, I just need to get in that one hit. Just that one hit'_ my mind all but screamed. I squeezed my eyes shut, my right fist resting on the sand while my left arm lied across my good knee. I looked like I was kneeling to someone, pledging loyalty. I slowed my breathing and felt my heart slow as well, at first I thought I was dying, but with each beat of my heart I felt a heat pulse through my body.

_Ba-dum-thump_

Heat

_Ba-dum-thump_

Energy

_Ba-dum-thump_

Strength

_Ba-dum-thump_

_Power_

I opened my eyes and looked up at the man standing above me, his eyes that were full of bloodlust and a giddy sense of triumph morphed into one of confusion at curiosity as I stared up at him. I was no longer scared. I was no longer in pain, no longer paralysed. I felt strong, I felt empowered. I felt confident. My fiery gaze met his eyes and he took a step and raised his fist, bringing it down as fast as he could to end the match and kill me.

I was already gone.

I reappeared in a blur behind him, slightly above him, and he turned just in time for his cheek to meet my fist. He flew into the wall but recovered quickly, standing up he looked around wildly, trying to locate me. But I was gone once again, appearing and disappearing around him and striking him with blows that would kill most men, but only sent him careening through the air and crashing the already crumbling wall. My speed had increased to the point that it looked more like teleporting, my strength had tripled and my mind was clear of everything except the objective: beat him at any cost.

I moved right in front of him as he staggered forward, he had bruises and grazes and lacerations from my attacks and crashing into the wall. I jumped up and gave him a powerful uppercut, like me before him, his head snapped back and went airborne. I vanished, leaving only a small displacement of air to prove I had been there at all, and appeared behind and above him once again. This time, however, I struck out my palm and hit the top of his spine. There was a fast series of sharp cracks, and the world froze for a long time.

No one moved. No sound was made. We might as well have been carved from stone. As I landed silently on the blood littered sand, Gutters body made violent spasm and crashed to the ground like falling tree, but the sound was quieter than I expected. I turned to check if he was actually dead, then rose from my landing position, but did not move. Silence had been shocked through the crowd, and I dare not break it.

_Clap. Clap. Clap. Clap._

I looked up with veiled surprise at the sound, and saw the business man in the VIP booth standing there, clapping slowly. More people began clapping, and soon applause rippled through the battered room. People cheered and whistled, calling out and yelling. It was deafening, but there was a certain thrill and excitement that went through the crowd and I looked up at the crowd in wonder. My eyes trailing over the hundreds of faces, and then I was stunned again.

"_Traveller! Traveller! Traveller!"_ they began chanting, I just stood there as they cheered. Shocked into my own silence, after a few moments I realized that _I won._ It was the thrill of victory, the excitement from a good fight, the elated feeling of being _alive_. Slowly, I raised my hand to acknowledge their cheers, also because I have no idea what to do in this kind of situation, and that seemed to spur them on. A greater wave of cheers erupted like a violent wave from them. I tuned once again to the man who ran this fighting ring, and he nodded before turning to leave. I turned to one of the entrances and walked away from the ever insistent cheering of the crowd.

Now that my heart rate was normal again, that strength from before had long since vanished, and I was beginning to feel its effects. But I couldn't show weakness. I continued to walk until a guard found me and took me to the man, who held a briefcase that was no doubt full of my prize money. My hands remained in my pockets, to hide the fact that they were shaking, and kept my shoulders relaxed in an attempt to show confidence and not fatigue.

"That was quite an exquisite match, Traveller" the man said happily, placing the briefcase on the table between them and pushing it towards me. I raised a brow at him in suspicion. I had killed probably his best fighter, and he was happy? He took my gaze the wrong way, and gestured for one of his men to open the case.

"Don't worry, I wouldn't try and kill someone like you. That would be far too stupid. While Gutter was an excellent fighter, I'm afraid that he was scaring competitors out of the pit and only the money desperate would try their luck. But now I expect business to really boom, that is… if you don't plan on reinterring" he said almost warningly. I rolled my eyes and took the briefcase; this man truly was the worst. He didn't even care if someone died, as long as it brought him profit.

"I only fight against strong opponents" was my reply before I turned and left the room. As I went back into the crowd, planning on leaving the way I came, people began cheering again and parted so I could pass by unhindered. I exited the building and out into the cool night air, had I been in there for so long? I shrugged and headed back to the docks, seeing the old ship I had arrived on was still docked, I realized something with a start.

I had forgotten my backpack!

Quickly running to the ship, I completely ignored the gangplank and jumped onto the railing, looking around the vacant ship I stepped onto the deck. Turning sharply to where my cabin, I opened the door and found that my stuff had not been touched. Checking to make sure all my stuff was there, I relaxed and heaved the large pack onto my shoulders, not forgetting the briefcase I went into town and rented a room for one night in the nearest hotel. I didn't bother with the bed, instead I spread out my swag and blanket. Only then did my fatigue catch up with me, and when I lied down I was out like a light.

* * *

**Yeah... I had been listening to a few dark-ish songs that made me think of fighting. Sorry this one was a bit late! So, how do you think I went with this one? I'll try and post a happier chapter next. Thank you reading, and I hope you enjoyed it! See ya in two weeks (Probably...)**


	5. Borderline

**Still Alive! Sort of. School is evil, sometimes... and I'm lazy... anyways! Here's the next chapter, this ones extra long so I hope it makes up for the time it took for me to finish it. I do not own One Piece (Believe me, I've checked). Onwards and enjoy!**

* * *

Another month had passed; well it was a little more than a month but meh, technicalities. I was on a ship, heading away from the West Blue and towards the Red Line. _'Mainland'_ I thought. A sigh escaped my lips and I turned onto my side, the small ship I was on hadn't been able to spare me a cabin, so I was sharing with the crew. They hadn't offered me a hammock so I slept on my swag, and honestly I preferred it. Having a hammock would mean being surrounded by people, and I don't think I could handle that just yet.

I had killed a man. Truly killed him, I took his life and hadn't thought twice about it… until now. I had committed murder. It didn't matter if the man had deserved or not, or what my motives were or what his motives were. The fact stood clear, plain as day, that I had _killed_ someone. Sure, I knew that I would have to fight, and most likely take lives… but knowing and doing are two very, _very,_ different things. I turned again, this time facing the wall. I hadn't been sleeping properly ever since that island. Sure, I slept, but those nights were filled with images of blood and lifeless eyes. Sometimes mine, sometimes his, sometimes it was a complete strangers or a character from this world, and sometimes it was people from my old world. I shuddered at the images that crossed my mind's eye even when awake.

I shifted onto my back, staring at the ceiling. I had tucked myself in a corner of the room, and continued to contemplate what I had done. I stopped crying long ago. For the first three days I had cried, and cursed and hated myself. Then I had gotten over that, telling myself that crying would do nothing to change what was already done, but while my tears and self-inflicted hate had stopped, the nightmares had not. It seemed that even though I accepted what happened, I had not accepted what I had done. I couldn't get over it. It remained in my head.

'_The hard part isn't killing, it's what comes after'_ I thought to myself. I looked to my left, and observed the sleeping sailors in the room. Did they know they were sleeping amongst a killer? Were they killers too? I covered my eyes with one hand, and did my breathing exercises to calm me down. Now I was just being paranoid, and pessimistic.

"_You must find a way, to break down this door, then you'll find yourself in a brighter world" _I sang quietly, remembering the song and strangely enough it seemed relevant _"We're gonna change your mind. Look inside yourself and find hate, find fear. Your life is over here" _I continued to sing quietly, so quietly it was only a whisper.

Yes, I had killed a man. Yes, it could have been avoided. But what were the chances of successfully beating him without killing him? What good would have letting him live been? Yet I was filled with guilt, with shame, with a sense that this would happen again. I sat up and lent against the wall, grabbing my bag I took out the brown leather journal I had bought earlier. Taking a pen I started to write, write my thoughts and fears. What I regretted, what I didn't. I poured my soul and sorrows into the pages.

As I closed the book, I closed the door to my suffering. I felt lighter, I felt complete once more. I had killed a man, and while that wasn't okay, I was okay with it. I would have to kill again, but I would avoid it when I can, I would never enjoy killing. Winning? Yeah obviously, but never killing, I would never take pleasure in someone else's death.

This chapter of my life was over. It's about time I continued on.

Standing up, I decided to head above deck. For some reason I wasn't tired, but I ignored that and went on the deck. Taking in the early morning view, I inhaled deeply and enjoyed the cool salty air. In a few more months, my time in the Blues would be done, and I would be continuing on to the Grand Line and the New World.

I went over to the railing and sat on it, pulling up the fabric of my pants on my right leg. It had been over a month since I got my first wound in this world, besides the landslide, and this would mark my first scar since coming here. The scar was a jagged line of raised skin, at the moment the flesh was pink but I had no doubt that it would whiten soon enough. I traced the numb area, recalling the events after I had left the pit.

I couldn't believe I had forgotten about such a wound, I hadn't even limped when I had walked all the way to the hotel. Probably made me look like badass, I laughed a little at the sudden thought. When I had woken up, on the other hand… my swag and blanket had been covered in blood and my leg was on fire with pain throbbing with my heartbeat. I had thrown out the blanket and done my best to clean the swag, though it was still heavily stained. But before any of that I had snatched my first aid kit and done my best to tend to the wound, I had spent nearly an hour disinfecting it, stitching it properly and bandaging it with extra padding for the bleeding. Then I had been limping for the better half of my journey to the mainland. Even now, I still had jolts of ghost pains from the old wound. Shaking my head, I pulled the fabric over the scar and jumped back onto the deck, looking for something to do.

Going over to the rigging I climbed up to the sail and sat atop the wooden beam that kept the sail in place. It was a peaceful morning, and as people began to rise from slumber the mainland became visible from the horizon. I took a deep breath when I realised that I would be going to the South Blue next. I don't think I could avoid the soon-to-be Strawhats just yet. I hadn't seen anything in the newspapers or from my informants about any crew that fits the description that I knew by heart. I had a pretty good idea that this was before when Luffy set out and probably before Ace set out as well.

I helped out amongst the ship while we sailed towards land at full speed. Once we were on land I took my stuff, paid the captain a little extra, and left the docks and towards the laundrette. The ride here had taken _ages_ and the only clean clothes I had left were the ones I was wearing. Once I found a place, I immediately set about washing my clothes -most of them were either black or red, so I really didn't have to worry about mixing colours- and while I waited for them to dry, I went out to a bar to enjoy a meal and a drink.

Sitting down at a seat near the window, I checked the menu before making an order. My drink came first, it wasn't alcoholic but it was sweet. The door opened, but I ignored it because there were a bunch of people coming and going. But when the chatter of the bar instantly died down, I turned to see who could possibly illicit a response like that.

Now, I consider myself someone that wouldn't openly stare at anyone, but when one of your favourite characters in One Piece walks through the door then anyone would be hard pressed not to stare. I wondered how he ended up on the mainland, because I don't remember any part where he had been on the mainland before.

'_Probably got lost'_ I thought wryly as I watched the green haired male ignore everyone and walk over to the bartender and order something. I turned back to my meal and happily continued consuming it. I blinked when I saw a familiar green sash in my peripheral vision, looking up I swallowed and tilted my head at him.

"Mind if I sit with you?" Roronoa Zoro asked me, and I stared for another few seconds before nodding. He sat across from me, I took a sip of my drink, and I continued to stare at him. "What?" he asked finally, with no small amount of impatience.

"Just observing, I guess. I've never seen a swordsman with three swords before" I replied, though that was just a half-baked lie. I had seen him fight a bunch of times, and it was one of the most epic things ever. He smirked at me, but before a conversation could begin his food and drink came and we both returned to our respective meals.

"Hey" I said suddenly, he hummed in acknowledgment "Have you ever been disarmed?" I asked and he looked at me sharply, so I quickly amended my question "I mean, have you practiced countering disarming moves, not just by other swordsmen but by an unarmed opponent?" I said, and he gave a look that was more calculating and contemplative.

"No, I don't believe so" he gave me a grin "have you ever fought a swordsman?" he asked and I returned his grin.

"Only mediocre ones" I replied. We both finished out meals quickly and I paid for him, since he was broke, and we went to a clearing away from the village, after we picked up my clean and dry clothes. We didn't want to cause any unnecessary damage, after all. I rolled my shoulders and tested my leg, to make sure it wouldn't give out on me.

"Just so you know, I've hurt my leg and it's only just healed so I might be a bit weak on my right" he nodded his understanding and drew his blades, I took a stance and gestured for him to attack. Never in my life did I expect to run into one the Strawhats, even if they weren't in the crew yet, and couldn't help but feel excited.

Zoro came at me with a basic double cross slash; smiling at the move I avoided it by spinning to the side of him. As his arm extended out to the side to complete the failed attack, I used a few quick movements to force the sword on his left side out of his hand and into my own. I placed the broad side of the sword on his shoulder, showing that this move had the potential to be fatal. He smirked at me, and took his sword back. I nodded and jumped back for our training session to continue again.

I learned a lot as well. Zoro was kind enough to teach me some basic swordsmanship, and while I was good he commented I wouldn't be a master any time soon. I had agreed with a laugh wholeheartedly. I also learned the movements of a swordsman, and as we continued our friendly matches it had increasingly easier to analyse his movements and predict his attacks. He had learned how to counter disarming moves, both basic and advanced, so the fact we both got something out of it _besides_ a workout was a real plus.

We also developed this cool way of communicating without words but I digress.

By the end of the day, we were both exhausted, though Zoro did his best to look as unaffected as a man who went through several punches and kicks could. I, on the other hand, had no problem collapsing to the ground with a mix between a sigh a groan. I had a few superficial cuts -they still stung- as my own lessons for when I hadn't been paying as much attention as I should have been, or when I had left one side unguarded. Although he was more forgiving around my right side, considering that I had experienced some ghost pains.

"You're really strong" he commented, leaning against a nearby tree. I breathed out a laugh, still trying to refill my body with oxygen, and waved a hand to him in thanks.

"Not nearly strong enough, but I'll get there. You pretty tough yourself, but you've got a long way to go before you beat Mihawk" I commented, and Zoro gave me a sharp glare that also held a questioning undertone, so I explained. "It's every swordsman's dream to become the best, even if it's not their immediate goal they all fancy the idea. It's obvious, though, that it is your ambition to become the best of the best. We've both got a long way to go, myself more so" I finished, taking in a deep breath and letting it out slowly.

"What is your dream?" Zoro asked, sitting down next to me. Which surprised me, but I didn't show it. I looked up at him but eventually turned my eyes back to the darkening sky. My dream was even harder to achieve, since there isn't an actual title for 'Greatest Martial Artist' or anything like that.

"To be the best fighter, the greatest martial artist, someone who can never be beaten in hand-to-hand combat" I said finally, I felt his eyes on me and heard his chuckle. I smirked at his response, and lifted my hand to lightly tap my knuckles against his arm.

I'll translate: 'I'm sure you make it, eventually' –Zoro.

'Gee, thanks, you too' –me.

Yeah… that's how we communicate, mostly.

We decided to camp out here, and go our separate ways tomorrow. I set up the tent while Zoro got firewood; I made sure at all times he was always within immediate view. He started the fire and I cooked. We shared a tent and slept the night, and half the morning, away. We packed up and said our goodbyes before parting ways, it sounds quick and uneventful but considering that Zoro has never packed a tent before it was pretty funny. As the green haired swordsman walked away I watched him walk down the road, before he suddenly took a sharp left into the forest. Away from where he originally wanted to go. I tried to hide my laughter, but it came bursting out and I spent a good minutes just standing in the middle of the road laughing. I probably looked crazy.

God, how long has it been since I laughed?

Inhaling long and slow breaths until my lungs stopped hurting, I straightened up and watched were my training companion had been. The poor man had no idea who was going to end up being his captain. Many a time I had been tempted to mention Luffy and the rest of the crew but had withheld my voice from speaking, I would have to try and avoid the others lest I do or say something stupid.

Sighing at my own thoughts, I turned away and started walking. And walking, and walking, and _walking. _God, no wonder people prefer to sail! Nothing ever happens on land! At least you have the prospect of a storm, or fishing, or _something!_ Is there nothing to do on this insufferable strip of land that separates the Blues? Seriously, I might actually enjoy some bandits or something attacking me, just for something to do! Oh wait, there's no one here!

Note my sarcastic and unhappy thoughts.

I looked away from the road, and up towards the sky. I can see why people preferred the ocean compared to the land, and while the sights and smells were unique in their own right, nothing can beat the salty smell on the wind and the exhilaration of seeing something off in the distance. It could be anything! An island, a ship, a giant, a sea king, a storm, and more! Here on land, you were pretty restricted with what to expect. Trees, towns, roads, maybe a storm but beyond that… it was a constant, a dull and boring constant of never-changing normality.

My eyes followed a bird as it flew overhead, and continued to do so until it vanished beyond the tree-line to my right. I stared at the forest as I walked, I noticed the trees were tall and old, the branches thick and strong, and everything was close together, almost smothering in its closeness.

I bit my lip as a thought came to mind. I had always wanted to do it, and now that the limitations on reality were a lot looser here maybe I could. But what would it look like if I fell or couldn't even get up the tree? Shaking my head of those self-conscious and decidedly _unhelpful_ thoughts, I took a sharp right –not unlike was Zoro had done hours earlier- and entered the forest. I stopped when I was far enough away from the road, and stood in front of a mighty tree. Its branches were high and tangled amongst its neighbours; I couldn't see the sky from here even though little streams of light seeped through the thick canopy.

Shrugging off my pack, I took a readying breath and ran at the tree. Jumping off the ground and into the air, I angled myself so my feet hit the trees trunk, and pushed off the large structure. I wasn't anywhere near reaching the lower branches, and I huffed at my lack of height –even though that was a good thirty metres that I just scaled- before landing with nary a noise.

Going at it again, I jumped high into the air, kicked off the tree and towards another one. I must have looked like an ascending, zigzagging blur to any onlooker. Finally, I got high enough to grab one of the lower branches and then proceeded to swing myself up onto it. Landing lightly, I squatted and looked down. I was at least a hundred metres up, and now that I was up here the height of these sentient plants really struck me. How old must this forest be to have grown to such amazing heights?

'_Looks like the land isn't as dull as you originally thought'_ my mind retorted my earlier belief, and I chuckled before jumping over the edge. I didn't trust myself enough yet to fall a hundred metres and land without injury, so I did that zigzagging thing again to get down. Once I had secured my backpack onto my shoulders, I ascending into the lower branches of the tree tops and looked around.

It was so different being up here than it is to be on the forest floor. Looking up into the higher branches, my eyes caught a bird that was watching me. Perhaps it was curious as to why a human was up here in the canopy, when it had no wings to fly? I turned to the branch in front of me, only a few metres away. I tensed my legs, and like a released coil, sprung forward with a relaxed kind of familiarity with the movement.

I landed on the branch in a crouched position, still uncertain about what I was doing, but when I didn't lose my balance and didn't fall down I stood and jumped to the next branch. My pause was shorter than the last one, and my leap was more confident and less cautionary. I jumped from one branch to another and another and soon I was practically flying through the trees, my feet barely touched the platforms before I was soaring again. Going a dozen metres at a time, at least, before I kicked off a branch or a tree trunk. Sometimes I would use my hands to grab onto a branch and swing to my next destination whenever it became too enclosed to simply jump, or when I wanted to go to a higher level.

Needless to say, I had way more fun than simply walking, and I covered way more ground as well. I had a few slip ups, though, when I encountered some slippery _something_ on the trees but I recovered quickly enough. My feet suffered a bit, as I discovered when I found a town to stay at before it got too dark.

They had become really swollen, and some parts were bleeding. I had disinfected them and wrapped them in my remaining bandages, but knew I wouldn't be doing any strenuous activity for a while. Luckily, there was a group of travelling performers that had let me tag along. It had been fun, and they had really liked my stories of my adventures, however few they were.

In return for letting me ride with them, I had to help with some basic things and give them some tea recipes. Somehow I had found myself sitting with the older women, learning how to sew and repair clothing. It had been a bit of a bazar experience, considering I wasn't exactly all about delicacy, but I had learned a lot and had gotten pretty good at it.

When my feet had gotten better, they had been sad to see me leave, but with promises to write to each other I had left them in good spirits and good health. I gave my feet a few more days rest, with boring walking, before returning to my treetop travel and cutting off days of travel time. Only this time I had regular resting intervals, and checked my feet to make sure they were handling it. A few more towns and a few more camp-outs later I was on the other side.

I looked out to the expanse of ocean that greeted me, inhaled the salty air and enjoyed the warm sand under my feet. I just stared, just took in the beautiful sight and listened to the noises around me and- _ohmygodtheresacannonball!_

Ducking under the projectile, I looked back as it passed overhead, and watched at it tore through sand and trees in a shattering explosion. I heard distant screams, and realised I had exited the forest not far from a town, which, it just so happened, was being attacked by pirates… _great_.

"A moment of peace is just too much to ask, it seems" I said irritably, like some great wrong had been done to me. After deciding that, yes, I should help this poor town, took off at high speeds towards the town. Avoiding poorly aimed cannonballs the entire way.

When I arrived at the fishing town, I looked around the pathetically small plaza –when compared to the one back at the islands it _really_ was pathetically small- and noticed without a hint sympathy that everyone were either running around like headless chooks or completely hysterical. Even the Marines looked like they didn't know what to do, which was really sad. However, now that I looked at it with a non-condescending eye… it looked really funny.

I burst out laughing when a Marine tripped as he was running to the docks, stifling my laughter into chuckles I picked the man up by the scruff of his shirt before he could get trampled. My shoulders were still shaking, and I was struggling to keep my breathing steady, but no one could deny the broad I-am-silently-laughing-at-you grin that was stuck on my face.

"Need a little help there?" I asked when the Marine was steady. He was a good foot taller than me –no surprise there- and was darkly tanned. He looked down at me, a shocked look on his face. It took me a moment to realise he was surprised a _girl_ had lifted him up like he barely weigh anything, my grin quickly evaporated at that. I'm a wee bit defensive about that, in case you haven't noticed.

"Uh…" the man tried to speak, and I only sighed in response. Well, since he was clearly incompetent and unable to act, it looks like I would be getting in on the action. Stepping away from him, I gave him a mock-salute and an insulting grin.

"See ya in the fight then!" I crowed before leaping onto the rooftops and taking off at high speed towards the docks. I landed in front of a group of navy soldiers, and chortled at how they all jumped and exclaimed in surprise. Standing up from my landing position, I put crossed my arms in front of me and stared out at the pirate ship. I didn't recognise it Jolly Roger, and since it was targeting a fishing village then it couldn't be very tough. So, they were more bullies than real pirates. Well, that was disappointing, but they could have a few good fighters. Maybe one would be a Devil Fruit user?

"W-who are you?" one of the Marines called out when he had recovered. I blinked before turning my head to the group of men. I had completely forgotten they were there. Turning around to face them fully I gave them a grin and put my hands on my hips.

"Call me Traveller!" I exclaimed happily, like there wasn't a pirate ship behind me and a town suffering a barrage of artillery in front of me. They all gave me deadpanned and confused looks, probably wondering where this whacko had come from. I giggled at their looks.

A large explosion popped my ears, and I felt the docks vibrate violently under my bare feet. Turning to my right, where the sound had come from, and found wood and debris falling back to where a stack of crates had been. I tilted my head, as though wondering why those crates had randomly combusted.

"Oh yeah" I said, drawing out the 'oh' as I turned to face the ship. It had gotten closer, and now I could make out the crew running about, preparing to attack. "I had forgotten about them" I said simply, I smirk found its way onto my lips. I was itching for a good fight, and I'm hoping this one will be decent enough. Funny, how quickly I can become violent. I continued to watch them, and found myself getting a bit impatient.

Seriously, how long did it take to dock the bloody ship and raid the god damn town? Not that they would get the chance. I turned to the Marines once again, and poked the one closest to me.

"Oi, don't you guys have a ship or something?" I asked plainly, he looked to me in surprise before turning his fearful eyes back towards the approaching ship.

"We only have one, and it's supposed to be out on patrol" he explained, and I bit back a laugh. He sounded like he blamed the navy ship for missing the pirates. It was only one ship, if you wanted a better line of defence then you would need more than one ship.

Suddenly the men were readying their guns, and above the screams of terror I heard the triumphant sounds of men who believe they've already won. Looking behind me, I realised with no small amount of glee that the pirates and their ship was now within jumping distance. So, without any further ado I tensed my whole body and shot forward like a bullet on steroids. I crashed through the railing and my feet skidded against the wooden floorboards of the deck. I managed to stop myself from going any further by punching the mast, of course I broke it, it creaked and cracked before slowly tilting one way and began to fall, the ropes tethered to it snapped and it crashed loudly onto the helm. Luckily the guy manning the helm had managed to jump out of the way.

No one moved, they just looked between the mast and me with amazement and shock in their eyes. At first I thought it was because I was female, but then I realised I was still in the Blues, which meant not many people had the strength I had. I smiled sheepishly and stuck my hands in the pockets of my ever-present hoodie.

"Whoops" I said lamely, my grin still in place. It was then all hell broke loose, and about time too!

Everything happened at once. Shots were fired from both sides, men swarmed around me with the intent to maim and murder, but that didn't really work out for them. Most of them were down with one punch, or kick and none of them were fast enough to actually hit, let alone hurt me. It seemed as though this would be an uninteresting endeavour, I decided with a disappointed sigh. It was then the door to the captains' chambers was violently slammed open, I looked up and saw a man that was… hairy, really, _really_ hairy. Seriously, he had a beard, and his torso and limbs were covered in thick black strand of hair.

"What's going on?" he hollered, and his men cowered "What happened to the ship? And why hasn't the town been taken already?" he asked shrilly. I stared at him with a deadpanned expression; he wasn't very bright, apparently.

"W-we're in the process now, captain! We're just having some unexpected issues" one of the crewmembers said, giving me a pointed look. I didn't even try to look offended; I just smiled easily and clasped my hands behind my back, leaning on the balls of my heels. Looking like I didn't have a care in the world.

"A problem, is it? Huh, can't even take care of a little girl?" he asked mockingly, I continued to ignore the man and looked up as a tiny piece of debris floated down towards the deck. "Ha! I'll take care of this, step aside weaklings!" the man bellowed, and everyone on board –minus me- did exactly as he commanded. He strode towards me with loud, confident, steps and held his hand out to the side of him as though he was holding a ball.

I wasn't paying attention, I was thinking about what I should have for dinner. I was in the mood for some venison, but chicken sounded good as well. Hm… I guess if I don't find a ship to take me to the next island then I'll have-

My body moved before I registered what was happening. I dropped to the ground as something dark and round went flying towards me, it passed harmlessly overhead and crashed into the wall on the other side of the ship. What the hell? Was that a cannonball or something? I turned to see what the hell had been thrown only to see… what?

_What?_

A ball of spiky quills was protruding from the wall. Let me repeat this. A _ball_ of spiky _quills_ are protruding from the _wall. _So allow me to repeat my question.

_What?_

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_**Soooo?**_** How'd I do? Hope you enjoyed the writing, and the story. I understand it seemed a bit off on some bits, and I'm sorry for that. Next one should come up a little sooner. **

**Imma Out!**


	6. Devil Fruit?

**Eh... I'm not too sure about this chapter. I like it, but I think the ending could've been a bit more... I don't know. Also, the transition from fight to not fighting was a bit iffy to me. Oh well. I don't own One Piece (Much to my chagrin). Read and enjoy!**

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I did not move, did not speak, and I certainly _did not_ notice the hairy dude strutting towards me. Of course, only when his shadow eclipsed my form did I turn away from the... the _spiky_ _ball_. I was still in my ducking position, so I had to crane my neck to see the guys face. I could see, behind the monstrosity of a beard, his triumphant and decidedly arrogant smirk. I would have rolled my eyes but the situation really was just bizarre in its entirety.

"Impressed?" he more stated than asked.

"Curios and confused, actually" I replied, and he seemed to find this funny. Laughing loudly, he brandished his arm in front of his torso, holding it as though he was holding an invisible shield. The thick dark hairs on his arm grew in size and length. Their tips became sharp and pointy. I stared with a profound sense of interest, disturbed but I couldn't look away. When they were a sufficient size for him, he plucked one from his skin and another one emerged to take its place.

"I ate a Devil Fruit, the Quill-Quill Fruit. Now I can create these deadly spikes at will!" he said proudly, as though he had won a great prize. I suppose getting a Devil Fruit around here would seem pretty important, though I couldn't say the pros outweighed the cons. Unless he was already like that before he ate the fruit, then I'd say the effect weren't as dire. Still, the power did offer some serious advantages.

I stood slowly, and looked around. Everyone was watching, even the Marines –who were s_upposed_ to be taking care of the pirates- were frozen in their places. Sighing I took a step back and rolled my shoulders. Okay, so this guy was a Devil Fruit user, which meant that he was an anchor as well, and that this one seems to be a Paramecia type. Well, that was both good and bad, since I don't think I'm strong enough to handle a Logia class just yet.

"Thanks for the info. Now, I believe you were going to 'take care of me'" I said sardonically, to which his smirk grew. At least, I think it was a smirk, but I couldn't under that layer of hair on his face. He threw the spike he was holding, and I dodged it easily. I raised a brow at him but he didn't seem perturbed by my dodging skills and continued to throw his sharp quills at me, never once lightening his barrage. I was beginning to get bored, because _seriously_, weren't Devil Fruit users supposed to become stronger? Unless he only just gained his skill, but he seemed pretty adept at making them at will. Suddenly, another ball of sharp quills came flying my way. I jerked my head to the side, and one sharp spike grazed my cheek. Cutting skin but not flesh, leaving only a red line from under my left eye to my ear, the ball crashed into the stump of the mast and instead of just sticking there, it exploded.

I managed to manoeuvre my body to avoid most of the deadly spikes, but my left side still stabbed by at least a dozen of the little dark brown needles. I took a sharp inhale of breath at the pain. That had been unexpected. Dropping to one knee, I immediately set about the task of pulling them out of my legs and arm, but another barrage of the needle-like weapons hailed towards my form. I jumped out of the way, and performed a one-handed backflip to avoid being skewed by a third rain of spikes. I looked at where I had been, dozens of spikes stuck out of the wooden floors. More than he had been throwing before, I looked to the man and him preparing another bunch.

His entire body was covered, from head to toe, by the quills. They glinted sharply in the midday light, and I realised just how difficult it would be to beat this man. I was a close combat type of fighter, and if I wanted to land I hit I would potentially have to allow myself to become a pincushion. Despite my less than favourable odds, I found myself grinning excitedly. This was the kind of fight I was looking for!

As I dodged another attack of needles, I pulled out the sharp quills from my body. Blood seeped out of the tiny wounds at a steady pace, but not fast enough to be concerning. As the attacks continued, I edged closer and closer, avoiding the sharp projectiles with flexibility that only a woman can procure. Finally, I entered my range for attack.

Moving at a speed the untrained eye couldn't follow I appeared behind the captain and gave a powerful punch to his back. I missed his spine by centimetres, but I was sure he felt it. He crashed into the wall of his quarters and went through it, pushing up dust and debris. I landed softly on the ground, and spun around playfully with my arms out.

"Miss me, miss me, you can't hit me" I sung playfully, laughing at my own creativity. I jumped into the air quickly, the place I had been now littered with the deadly quills. The captain stumbled out of the hole he created, which was crudely shaped like him I realised with a giggle, and growled at me. He was covered in minor scratches and grazes, but I'm pretty sure I hurt his pride more than his body.

"You bitch" he spat, and I leant back on my heels again, one foot behind the other, and vainly tried to hide my giggles behind my fingers.

"I think you hit your head there" I quipped through my giggles "Because my species is definitely not of the canine variety, contrary to common belief. But whatever floats your boat" I shrugged, finally getting over my giggles and now looking completely relaxed. Some of the men around me looked a little irked by that, or by what I said, but I ignored them. They were no fun.

"I'll kill you" he said, and I rolled my eyes and smirked at him.

"I thought you were going to take care of me?" I said in mock-innocence. This only pissed him off and he ran forward, his body hair sticking up as they turned into those sharp spikes. It dived out of the way as he barrelled into what was left of the mast and smashed it to pieces. I winced at the prospect of that being me. I jumped out of the way again as he came towards me again, I couldn't get close to him like this. Every inch of his body was protected by the quills, even his face was covered! It was crazy. As I dodged another close call, I reluctantly accepted what I had to do.

This was gonna hurt.

I stood where the ground was flat and clear of spikes, and turned to my angry assailant. My knees bent, one leg behind the other, my body was side-on with my left facing my opponent. My right fist was rightly closed and raised to the waist. My left palm was facing my rushing opponent in a 'halt' position, the elbow slightly bent and my back straight with my shoulder squared. Body tense and ready, with my hard eyes trained on my target with firm expression set on my features.

He was upon me!

I pushed my legs, and shot my fist with all my power while retracting my left hand quickly. The effect was instantaneous. Pain shot through my right hand, spikes piercing the flesh and bone, and my shoulder and side was pierced by the longer needle-like quills. Luckily my legs weren't affected, since the angle and position of both of us kept the spikes from reaching that low. Time seemed to slow from there, from the impact of my fist the man's warped and moved back before his spiked body followed. Then time resumed its usual speed and the man vaulted from me, a burst of displaced air acted like a mini shockwave as he broke the sound-barrier, and became nothing more than a big brown blur as he zoomed from the ship, through the buildings of the town, and finally came to a stop a hundred or so metres into the tree-line.

A huge cloud of dust and debris followed his path, and some of the less sturdy buildings began to crumble and fall. I was panting from my position, fist still extended and body tense. That power really had the potential to be devastating, and I had to admit it wasn't as lame as it first appeared to be. I relaxed my body and retracted my arm, and began pulling out the pikes that had lodged themselves in my body. I didn't want to even look at my right hand, already knowing it would be a bloody mess. I couldn't just do a simple patch up job with this, I would have to get a professional to take a look at it, and hopefully fix it.

Everyone was frozen, amazed that this slip of a girl had beaten such a dangerous man. He wasn't really dangerous, I realised with a scoff, not to someone who was truly powerful. Sure, to them he was dangerous, but not truly dangerous that he could make it in the Grand Line. And I had managed to beat him with relative ease.

'_But at a price. I'm bleeding pretty badly now, and I could irreparably damage my hand. I beat him easily, but at a price. I could have finished that fight before it came to this. If I had just hit his spine, he would've been out of the fight instantly'_ I thought angrily to myself.

'_And he would've been dead'_ my mind shot back. I took a sharp breath at that paralysing epiphany. Now that I thought back on the fight, I had clearly been able to do it. To hit his spine with my bone-breaking punch, and end him right then and there.

But I hadn't. At the time, during the fight, I hadn't thought anything of it, just absently categorised it as bad aim and continued on, but now that I _did_ think on it… my eyes had been on his spine, but my fist had veered off course. Even though I had come to terms with the fact I would be killing, I still couldn't do it. My subconscious, maybe my conscience, wouldn't allow me to outright kill someone. But I hadn't been thinking of killing him, just beating him, only being victorious. Maybe if I had consciously known what my attack would've done to him, I would have hit my mark.

I barked out a breathless, silent, laugh at the thought. It was like I was programmed with an inability to accidently kill, unless I was making the conscious decision to end another's life, I wouldn't be able to end their lives.

'_At least'_ I thought as I looked to the mess I caused _'not on purpose'_ I let my shoulders sag as the adrenalin begun to wear off. But I was still giddy from my win. But my mind was still thinking on the implications of my train of thought, and my memory returned to the pit. How I hadn't felt anything, my body moved and my mind thought of just one thing: Winning, beating, surviving. I hadn't consciously killed him, but I had known what it would do… if that makes sense.

Shaking my head from those memories, I limped to the railing –or what was left of it- and jumped off the ship and onto the docks. I turned to the nearest navy personnel, who looked to be the captain, and I nodded my head towards the town.

"Is there a hospital or something here?" I asked, and he snapped out of his shocked trance. He nodded vigorously and yelled for some of his men to take me to the hospital. I sweat-dropped at this, I didn't need an entire escort, just directions. Sighing in resignation, I began to walk with the Marines into the town. I tried to hide my limping as best as I could, my left leg was hurting real bad. You know that muscles deep pain you get after having needle injections? Yeah, it was like that, only worse. It felt like someone had stuck a dozen needles in my leg, jostled them about a bit, before pulling them out, which wasn't too far from the truth, if I thought about it.

One of the Marines had offered to carry me, but I had refused. I had suffered worse, far worse. I had suffered the inability to breathe, the weight of the earth pressing down on my form, the pain of bones breaking from that weight and my insides folding in on themselves. All that pain and I couldn't even scream, I didn't have the air nor the space for it.

But that had only lasted for a moment, before Death had mercifully taken me away into the abyss. He gave me a mission and then sent me back to the land of the living, but in a different world. I had been buried again, but it hadn't been as bad. I remember how the pressure had been lighter, more bearable, and how my bones hadn't suffered as badly and my organs hadn't suffered any major damage. The rules of the world were different here, and that allowed me to live. It gave me strength, more than I would've ever gotten back at my old world.

One a happier note, and one far less brooding, we reached the hospital! The doctors only had to take one look at me before everyone went into a panicked frenzy. A nurse actually fainted! That had been funny, seriously funny, I had laughed despite everything when she collapsed. I think everyone thinks I'm crazy, and I probably am. Right now at least. My mind and emotions have been through a rollercoaster and it's really beginning to take its toll. I had been ushered into a white room, into a white bed, and then stuck with an actual needle filled with some sort of painkiller. It was relieving, to say the least, and a serious sleeping drug. I was knocked out cold within minutes.

Morning had been eventful. I had woken up, groggy and slow from the drugs affects, and had almost completely forgotten about my fight. That was until I tried to move my body. Fortunately, the drugs were still mostly in effect, and I only felt a tingling sensation around where I knew I should be feeling pain. It was like a misty veil, obscuring the vivid details from my senses and keeping my nerves clouded in a hazy sensation.

The nurse, not the one who fainted, that had been present had jumped when she heard me wake. I'm not sure what sound I made, I had been so out of it, and by the time I registered that someone had even been in the room I was alone. I tried to move, but the motions were slow and mostly unresponsive. I was beginning to hate sedatives; they made it so hard for the body to obey my brains commands.

When the doctor and two nurses, the one that had been here when I woke up, came into my room I had mostly gained my bearings and remembered how I ended up here. I blearily registered one of the nurses were checking my vitals, clipboard in hand, while the other two occupants were in a heated and fast-paced discussion. When it finally ended, the doctor turned to me. He was a handsome man, all dark hair and dark eyes with olive skin that was a stark contrast to the bland white room.

"Do you remember how you got here?" he asked, I forced my head to nod. I didn't trust my voice to actually make noise just yet. The man mimicked my motion, it being faster and smoother than my bobbing movement, but I blame the drugs on that.

"Do you remember anything before that?" he asked, and I wondered why he was asking me these questions. My head hadn't been hit, as far as I knew, during the fight. I tried to move, but the nurses were at my sides in an instant and pushing me back down. With them and the drugs still going through me, I couldn't put up much of a fight. I went back down, but one of the nurses had been nice enough to adjust the angle of my bed so I was sitting up. It was then I saw the nurses' clipboard, and more importantly, some very familiar paperwork.

It was a copy of my medical records.

So they knew about my 'mild case of amnesia', my mind slowly concluded. God, I hated how slow I was. It was kind of standard procedure, to have the medical records of the patient. Duh, aren't I a clever drugged-up fighter?

"Yeah…" I said slowly, answering his earlier question. He nodded and the nurse with my info wrote something down. I shook my head, trying to get rid of the fog that was in my mind, it was hard to think clearly and I hated it. Half the reason I was alive was because of my quick mind, and not having that made me uncomfortable. I shifted in my bed, though it was more a very long chair, and all personnel in the room were looking at me again.

"Okay now… miss" he said carefully, and warning bells went off in the back of my mind, but they were so far away they were practically drowned out by the hazy static of my brain "Can you tell us your name?"

And suddenly that cloud went 'toodle-oo' and my mind was abuzz with questions. Why did he need to know my name? Why does this make me uncomfortable? What was wrong with this situation? Something's wrong, something's wrong, something's wrong…

But my mind was still slow, and even as these thoughts were going through my mind I could barely consciously register them. I opened my mouth, intent on answering the man, when my medical file came up in my mind's eye and my mouth snapped shut with an audible click. Something isn't right here. What was it? Then it hit me like a ton of bricks God had just so kindly decided to drop on my unsuspecting person.

Metaphorically of course, I don't think God would mess with someone so directly.

My eyes shot to the medical records that the nurse still held, and my eyes went straight to where my name should be. I stared at it for several seconds, trying to process it and figure out how it happened. The doctor and nurses took notice of my apparent riveted interest in the clipboard and the kind nurse moved away from me, so I couldn't see my medical file. My eyes didn't follow, but my mind finally seemed to catch up.

'_Maria you sly she-devil'_ I thought fondly, fighting a knowing smile. Maria did have a habit of interfering, but right now I couldn't be more grateful for the woman. Except for when she taught me how to make herbal teas, there was no way anyone could top that.

What was on the paper you ask? Oh, that was simple, childishly simple really. And a slightly childish, because it is what I had been calling myself since I set out.

"Traveller" I said with an all too innocent smile.

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**So what do you think? R&R or just enjoy, whichever really. Hope you enjoyed this one, and tell me what you think! Anything I could improve on? See ya on the next episode!**


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